Adam – Lost Memories (Adam Dubi)

Adam – Lost Memories (Adam Dubi)

As terrifying as the horror genre can be the sad reality is that the ghouls, ghost and other fantasy creatures that typically inhabit it pales in comparison to the horror that some people have to endure in real-life. It is even more heartbreaking when you realize that it is often the most vulnerable who are preyed on the most. Adam: Lost Memories is an early access title that is being created by just one person, Adam Dubi. Adam began working on the game after his psychologist suggested that he uses some form of art to work through the trauma that he experienced during his childhood. For some people, this would mean painting or poetry, but instead, Adam went ahead and created an extremely ambitious horror game

Children of Morta

Children of Morta

From the beautiful hand-painted pixel art to the moving family-oriented storyline, Children of Morta is a game unlike any other. The game itself is extremely addictive and following the adventures of the Bergson family kept us glued to our screens. If you are looking for an action RPG that is not just a lot of fun to play, but also has a lot of heart, then Children of Morta should be at the top of your list.

Gameplay: Challenging, addictive and just plain fun to play.

Graphics: Beautiful hand pained pixel art with smooth animations.

Sound: The music, sound effects, and narrator all sound superb

Streets of Rogue

Streets of Rogue

Streets of Rogue is a deceptively simple looking game, but scratch beneath the surface and you’ll find plenty of depth. It has a large selection of character classes, each with their own unique playing styles and a procedurally generated city in which to cause chaos. The amount of mission objectives is rather limited, but the ways in which you can go about accomplishing them is almost limitless. Overall, Streets of Rogue is an extremely addictive game with a ton of replay value.

Graphics: Simple, but not without charm.

Sound: The soundtrack is excellent and the sound effects really good too.

Gameplay: Extremely addictive and packed with things to do

ABZÛ

ABZÛ

Abzu allows players to descend into the heart of the ocean without worrying about things like oxygen or predators. It is a tranquil experience with beautiful visuals that left us eager to see each new environment. Everything from the art to the soundtrack is superb, but the gameplay could be a bit too shallow for action fans. The entire experience is also over way too soon, but if you get hooked, you’ll love every second of it.

Gameplay: Abzu is mostly about swimming around and observing your surroundings.

Graphics: The art style for the game is beautiful, and each scene is filled with color and life.

Sound: The soundtrack and sound effects are a perfect match for the tranquil setting and gameplay

The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart

The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart

The Princess, The Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart is a charming and humorous visual novel with a large cast of interesting characters. It opens with the protagonist, Nora Handa, encountering a girl claiming to be a princess of the netherworld, and events spiral further out of control from there. After encountering this newcomer, Nora has to decide whether he is falling in love with her or if his heart beats for one of the three other girls in his life. Of course, the fact that he has been cursed to change into a cat whenever he is kissed also complicates matters further. Overall, this is a great visual novel, but there are some gaping holes where all the adult content has been removed.

Gameplay: Completing all four of the routes in the game is a lengthy process but very enjoyable.

Graphics: The artwork is really good, but it is a pity that the adult content had to be removed.

Sound: Full voice acting for the characters, along with a varied soundtrack

Alan Wake Special Two: The Writer

Alan Wake Special Two: The Writer

While it doesn’t wrap things up neatly, “The Writer” offers us another chance to experience the twisted world of Alan Wake. As far as DLC goes, this one has enough content to make it worthwhile, but don’t expect too many answers.

Gameplay: A little less combat, but that’s not a bad thing.

Graphics: Same engine obviously, but the twisted locations are great.

Sound: Solid as ever

TECHNOSPHERE RELOAD

TECHNOSPHERE RELOAD

Technosphere Reload is a great looking game, but don’t underestimate the challenge that it has to offer. While it might look like a casual title, completing it will take every ounce of skill and patience that you have. The game requires you to roll a sphere through a gauntlet of maze filled traps while figuring out some puzzles along the way. It will also put your platforming skills to the test, but beware as lives are limited and checkpoints few and far between. This is not a game for the easily frustrated, but it does look great and overcoming the odds that are stacked against you can be very rewarding.

Gameplay: Frequently frustrating and bogged down by needless elements like the energy meter, but rewarding if you can handle the challenge.

Graphics: The visuals look top notch, but can be blinding at times.

Audio: No soundtrack and the sound effects are serviceable at best

Professor Lupo and his Horrible Pets ( BeautiFun Games)

Professor Lupo and his Horrible Pets ( BeautiFun Games)

Professor Lupo and his Horrible Pets is set to launch on both Steam and the Nintendo Switch on July 11th, 2019. Players are handed control of the Professor’s personal intern, who have to deal with a space station full of adorable looking, but extremely deadly monsters. The setting for the adventure is the Aurora Space Station, which is in a state of chaos after a series of catastrophes caused the monsters to escape confinement

Professor Lupo and his Horrible Pets

Professor Lupo and his Horrible Pets

Professor Lupo and his Horrible Pets is a fast-paced puzzle game with a great story and interesting enemies to outsmart. Playing as an intern trying to escape a doomed space station overrun by deadly alien pets is a lot of fun, and the solid narrative elements make it even better. The game also features a surprising amount of content and can keep players busy for a long time. Some more variety for the environments would have been nice, but the great monster designs make up for this, and their varied behaviors keep things fresh. Overall, this is one of our favorite puzzle games of the year and a must-have for any fan of the genre.

Gameplay: The game features five chapters with a 100 challenging, but entertaining, levels to conquer.

Graphics: The hand-drawn visuals and the monster designs are neat.

Sound: The audio is well-rounded, with a great soundtrack, decent sound effects, and even full voice acting

Alan Wake Special One: The Signal

Alan Wake Special One: The Signal

If you plan on playing this DLC episode in order to get some answers you are in for a disappointment. Alan is still battling his inner demons and in this episode they are out in full force. There are some interesting new ideas but don’t expect too many revelations.

Gameplay: A lot more action packed than the main game.

Graphics: The same as the main game, but the locations are twisted around.

Sound: Still good